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back to horsefly films by Jen Miller Sierra The acclaimed poet Robert Frost wrote famously of The Road Not Taken. For Bob & Patti Osborne of Rancho de Milagro, that road included visions of grapes, wine and a possible vineyard fashioned out of their thirty idyllic acres nestled in the San Jacinto Valley of Southern California. Lucky for us, after some initial research they rethought their dream and opted to build a horse ranch instead. Today, a mere four years from that fortuitous decision, Rancho de Milagro’s meteoric success by any measure has been nothing short of remarkable. The story of how they got here is equally remarkable. In 2003, Bob and Patti Osborne began looking for a horse for their granddaughter to ride. Wanting to ride again himself, Bob researched the smoothest ride for his bad back and discovered Paso Finos. He found an intriguing ad that described a horse that “was the ambassador to the ranch and anyone could ride”, that led him straight to Gus Gonzalez. By the end of their visit to Gus’ ranch, Bob and Patti were the proud new owners of their first two Paso Finos. A few months later Gus invited them to the Western Regional Nationals Show in Santa Barbara. The experience completely captivated them and it was then they began their Paso Fino journey in earnest, meeting many more fixtures of the CPFHA including Martha Coolidge and her trainers, brothers Gerardo and Angel Matos. Gerardo Matos had arrived in California 2 years prior, landing smack in the middle of the worst El Nino storm season in history. Trapped in knee-deep mud and an unrelenting deluge of rain, his first and only thought was to get right back on the next plane back to Florida but life intervened in its inimitable way and he stuck it out. For Gerardo, a return to Florida would have to remain his road not taken. In a series of delicious twists of fate, Gerardo moved to Milagro in May 2005, with Bob’s idea that they would find a breeding stallion, get a breeding program going and start training for shows with their eyes on the Nationals. It was a tall order for the upstart farm. Gerardo immediately traveled to Spectrum, keeping a sharp eye out for a foundation breeding stallion. He carried a short list of horses in his mind as he watched each class intently, looking for that special something that he would know when he saw it. Hoping to be surprised. “ I wanted to find a young colt to develop, a horse with all the qualities we were searching for”. At the top of Milagro’s wishlist were superior movement, rhythm and conformation. A specific bloodline was unimportant. Gerardo explains, “I look for qualities above bloodlines. You can have a horse with the best proven bloodlines but maybe the horse doesn’t exhibit those certain qualities that make you stand up and notice”. Through it all he couldn’t shake the vision of a horse he had seen a few months earlier at the Miami Winter Festival, a 3 year old bay colt from Colombia named Portal de la Luisa, son of the famous Tartaro and out of La Maja de La Luisa, a Candelazo daughter. The colt had won the World Cup 32-36 month fino championship. Gerardo sat glued to the rail and waited for something to happen. During the three year old fino colt class his attention waned from the arena as he chatted with other trainers. And then Portal hit the board and everyone looked up, listening to the hard-pounding, perfect fino gait. Goosebumps. Gerardo’s surprise had arrived. To his amazement, the horse wound up placing only fifth, but Gerardo didn’t give it a second thought. “The winner wasn’t as impressive to me. Portal had a look that was better than all the others. I thought, maybe this is a training issue, maybe the horse is having an off day”. Gerardo had to push the colt to the back of his mind as he spent the next week in Ocala, visiting every ranch with stallion prospects, often seeing and riding over 30 horses a day. It boggled the mind but Gerardo honed in again on Portal, ultimately visiting owner Daddy Diaz four times that week. It was a big, critical investment for the Osbornes and Gerardo wanted to confirm his gut feelings. With each visit he rode Portal a bit longer, eventually taking him out on the trail to get a better sense of the colt’s responsiveness. He returned to California with video in hand and from the moment Bob and Patti saw the footage they were in love with Portal, impressed by his conformation and movement. The choice was made. The Osbornes saw Portal in person for the first time when he stepped off the plane in California. They were mesmerized. “It was early days and I was still learning and wasn’t that familiar with fino horses at that point and I was just blown away”, Bob remembers. That feeling has grown over time. “Portal is different than other horses. He’s grown into this amazing, developed, muscled- out big boy but his disposition is just incredible. He’s a sweetheart, anyone can ride him”. Gerardo echoes that sentiment, “Portal may not be the fastest gait but he is consistent with tremendous style. He’s just one of the best horses, he’s so giving and so versatile—he can flat walk, fino, corto largo and canter. That’s so important for me. I trail ride with him all the time with all mares and there’s never a problem. My love for this horse grows every day”. With their dream foundation stallion in their barn, Rancho de Milagro set their sights on Nationals, entering Portal in the Western Regional Nationals as a warm-up a mere three weeks after he arrived at the ranch. He was still thin and immature, but Portal won both 4 year old colt Classic Fino Champion and Classic Fino Grand Champion. “It was a great test for us together”, Gerardo recalls, “Portal and I learned a lot about each other at that show”. With those important first victories together under their belt, Rancho de Milagro charged ahead to Nationals, taking Portal and their pleasure mare Rosalinda de Prometido. The disastrous trip turned out to be a sheer test of will as they found themselves smack in the middle of the Hurricane Katrina crisis, rendering the normally 2 day trip a grueling 8 day haul. Adding to this chaos was the critical diesel shortage that got worse the further east they drove. Gerardo macgyvered together a fuel system with tractor pesticide tanks, hose and pvc and kept driving. Come hell or high water (literally), this Nationals would not be the road not taken. They hobbled into Nationals on fumes but they had made it. Gerardo rested the horses for a full week before starting their training. Each day Portal got better. “Portal was too excited and nervous at the Western Regionals and we wanted to alleviate these things for him at the Nationals”, Gerardo explains, “We led him into the arena each day, sometimes 3 or four times a day before we ever rode him, just to give him confidence”. Gerardo knew after Portal’s 5th place showing at Spectrum that he was coming in under the radar--- a huge advantage. Their strategy was to work Portal at night, outside the main arena away from the prying eyes of the competition. No one was thinking about the horse and that’s exactly how Bob and Gerardo wanted it. The night before his debut Gerardo finally worked him in the main arena. “I felt him like never before. He knew the arena, he felt confident, focused and powerful. On the reverse I knew we had something spectacular”. After traversing the board, so did the other competitors in the arena. They would now have to contend with Portal. On the day of his class, Portal was comfortable through the long workoff--- the longer the class went on, the more energy he exhibited. In the end, Portal was named 2005 National Champion Classic Fino 4 year old colt. “What a great horse! What talent, he’s just very special to perform like that at his first national show”, enthuses Gerardo. After the win, Bob and Gerardo decided against entering him in the Open Championship, giving Portal more time to mature before taking on the much more seasoned Stallions. It was a tremendous first Nationals, coming away not only with Portal’s National Championship but Rosalinda winning Reserve National Champion Pleasure Mare as well. For the fledgling farm it was an auspicious beginning and their triumph left them exhilarated and inspired to keep building their dream. To that end they went home and began their breeding program. In 2006 Rancho de Milagro returned to Nationals with their new filly Luna Llena de la Rosa, a horse Gerardo knew was special despite her initial rough beginning, having been written off by three other trainers in the first three months of her training. Bob trusted Gerardo implicitly to buy the horse without Bob himself ever seeing her. It was a smart decision. Luna won National Champion 3 year old Fino Fillies and placed 3rd in the Fino Mares Open Championship, despite her running a temperature. With three National Champions in just two years, the Osbornes and Gerardo have hit on a magic relationship that is its own reward. “We’re blessed to have a trainer with such a great feel for quality and who is so compassionate”, says Bob. Gerardo is equally effusive, “The most important thing is that Bob trusts me and gives me the power to do whatever I need to do to help the horses develop to their fullest potential”. Both credit their unique partnership as the absolute key to their success. This tight-knit working friendship between owner and trainer is an extremely rare and powerful thing and the relaxed environment certainly makes for happy Milagro horses. The Osbornes are not about to rest on their already considerable laurels. They have big plans and a long-term philosophy to remain committed to quality, not quantity. Portal is central to that goal. They currently have 27 horses on the ranch, with 25 their ideal number. Most exciting for them now is the first crop of Portal babies on the ground. There are seven yearlings in all, out of mares of every conceivable bloodline. What no one was prepared for was how incredibly prepotent Portal is, dominating the X-factor and throwing his extremely strong back end, quiet croup, big cresty neck, beautiful disposition and dark bay color no matter what mare he is bred to. Portal’s influence improves any weaknesses in the dam: strengthening a weak back end or a harder disposition. ”We’re very impressed with Portal’s babies” crows Gerardo, “He’s throwing that gentle temperament, even in the weanlings, just beautiful. It’s a great disposition for work. They are so smart and willing and they remember lessons from month to month.” “It’s a completely different feeling when you begin to see the product of your breeding program”, explains Bob excitedly, “These babies are the fruits of our labor”. It is not a process for the impatient. The long, slow journey is something both Bob and Gerardo love. “It takes a few years to see what you have. You don’t want to sell something that might be really special down the line”, Bob cautions. Gerardo agrees wholeheartedly. He is a patient man, not bent on instantaneous results. Portal and Luna instilled those lessons well. Although a self-admitted perfectionist, Gerardo wants things to evolve the right way, according to the natural rhythm of the horse. It is the unfolding, the circuitous route, the road taken. He tries hard to remember this as he anxiously awaits the day he can saddle these first Portal babies. Milagro now has a topnotch breeding program in place. Portal was bred to 23 outside mares in 2006 and 2007. The ranch offers embryos from any of their mares for breeding with Portal or outside stallions. Milagro’s planned 2007 breedings include Luna Llena with Arco Iris, Tornado and of course, Portal. Bob and Patti’s 2007 plans include the Western Regionals, Las Vegas Gold Cup and then up to their other ranch near Flathead Lake, Montana where they will train in the cool mountain air before heading to Nationals. This year they have their hopes pinned on Milagro’s “girls”: Dulce Amenzaz, a Dulce Sueno daughter they recently purchased who was the 2006 Performance National Champion, Savannah, a 3 year old performance filly and Prometido daughter, 3 year old fino filly Bachata and of course, Luna Llena, competing this year as a 4 year old. Following Nationals they will stay in Florida for the Grand Prix and the World Cup. It is a very full plate. Committed to sharing their knowledge and horses, Bob and Patti have been instrumental in developing the Junior Youth Program in California.“The youth are the future of the breed and we have to bring them along”, Bob points out wisely. Milagro instituted an unprecedented program offering free riding lessons and showing opportunities for kids aged 13-17. This year they had 15 applicants and chose 4 for the program, whom they will take with them to Regionals and Gold Cup. There are now dozens more eager kids on the waiting list. The Osbornes have also developed a vast trail system throughout their ranch. These trails make training more interesting and create a more versatile horse and are an integral part of Gerardo’s daily training regimen. “I think all horses—even fino horses—must do everything, and training on the trail prepares the horse to deal with any environment without any stress”, he says. For this same reason, Milagro is a noisy, active ranch, with a sound system playing music in the barns and arena and banners blowing along the fences. These horses have seen it all. For the babies, this hands-on approach is even more important. After weaning, they are turned out to pasture to just be horses while they grow up. Each month they are brought in to be trimmed, bathed, wormed, longed and generally fawned over. All that affection makes for some incredibly social horses. “They run to you when they see you coming!” Gerardo laughs, “There are just no shortcuts in this groundwork. You look each other in the eye and you start to know the horse and the horse knows you.” Bob and Patti are a vital part of this “humanizing” of their horses. “We love spending time with each horse, particularly the babies, just giving them affection and love. Nothing beats that human contact”, Bob smiles. He has even made up a game in which Portal mimics Bob’s movements and then receives a carrot for the effort. One forgets this is a stallion and not one of the Osborne’s beloved Labrador retrievers, a testament to Portal’s incredible temperament and Bob and Patti’s devotion. Despite their meteoric rise to the top of the Paso Fino world, Bob and Patti remain humble, always eager to share their time, friendship and passion for their horses. They are a wealth of joy. Time will tell if their third trip to the Nationals will make them 3 for 3 but what is certain is that the Osbornes and their horses will have a wonderful time along the way. That is the stuff of life. Ah, the miraculous, circuitous route. The Osbornes are mighty glad of it.
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Published in the July 2007 issue of Showtime International Magazine. |